‘Bollard Man’ details nightmare inside Bondi shopping centre as massacre unfolded

Two men hailed as heroes for their brave acts during a stabbing attack have shared what really happened inside the shopping centre.

Two men praised for their heroic efforts in confronting the Bondi killer have shared how the massacre unfolded.

Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed 18 people during a violent rampage on weekender shoppers at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon.

Six people died as a result of their injuries and Cauchi was shot dead by heroic police officer Amy Scott.

Construction workers and French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux went viral after video emerged of them confronting Cauchi and slowing his assault on shoppers.

In the video, Mr Guerot brandishes a bollard at the top of an escalator as Cauchi climbs towards him. Social media users watching the incident unfold online affectionately dubbed him “Bollard Man” and praised his incredible bravery.

Speaking to Today on Thursday morning, Mr Guerot said he laid awake at night running through the crucial minutes during which he faced off with the killer.

French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux went viral after video emerged of them confronting mass murderer Joel Cauchi. Picture: Today

“You always think, like, at night-time, you could have done maybe something better,” he said.

“Maybe we could work together. We could talk to each other.”

M Guerot decided to launch the bollard – which he said weighed about 30 to 40kg – at Cauchi, narrowly missing him.

Mr Despreaux said the look in the killer’s eyes was unmistakeable: “He’s going to run after us now.”

The pair made a run for the nearest exit and stumbled across Inspector Scott. They raced to explain what they had witnessed and where to find the attacker before following behind her as she ran toward the action.

“People were saying he’s upstairs, so we had to get there,” Mr Guerot said.

Mr Guerot confronted the killer. Picture: Supplied

CCTV vision shows Inspector Scott running through the centre as Mr Guerot follows behind, grabbing a chair as he races to keep up.

“I just kept running with the police officer until we saw him,” he said.

When they reached Cauchi, Mr Guerot said Inspector Scott tried to calm the killer down and told him “don’t move”.

“He did the same thing he did to me,” Mr Guerot said, mimicking how Cauchi brandished the knife before launching at Inspector Scott.

He said she had no choice but to shoot the knifeman.

In the days that followed, Anthony Albanese offered a personal initiation to Mr Guerot to “stay as long as he likes” in the Australia, citing his application for a permanent resident visa.

“It’s a bit of a strange feeling because at some point I’m really happy that they give me that opportunity to stay here,” Mr Guerot said.

“But in same time, you are still thinking about what’s happened there.”

The Prime Minister has confirmed Mr Guerot’s visa is due to approved on Thursday.